Mine was brand new. I had just transferred my 30 into a 46 and it crashed killing everything. A month after I cycled the 46 I bought the rock with the duster. 7 months later I trasnferred again into a 90 and used new water and it survived. 3 months later I moved and got rid of all the water and it's still alive 2 months later. Haven't added any type of food for it since the crash.